Final Fantasy Versus XIII: Amor est vitae essentia
by smiles mimi
Summary: Update CH. 4 & 5 up: "the only one you in the world I was able to meet. even if it gets a little painful, i think it was a miracle.."
1. Ephemeral

**As requested by a friend, she wanted me to create this story. Or, the intro to it anyway. It might not make sense to some, but here was how she wanted the storyline to go. Stella & Noctis already know each other and their relationship started building up, and after that, things can and may happen. Very vague, I know, but that was all I really had to work with. And I know some of you are adverse to the Noct/Stella pairing, but please bear with me on this. Sorry, but I suck at summaries. And excuse the lack of dialogue, there will be some shortly. So without further adieu, may I present: Final Fantasy Versus XIII Amor est vitae essentia.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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_Final Fantasy Versus XIII: Amor est vitae essentia  
_

Noct made his way up the dark carpeted stairs, away from the party. It was an annoying event, no matter how many times he tried to force himself to get used to it. To keep track, it was the second one this week. He looked down a large, dark, and empty corridor on his left once he reached the top of the steps. Somehow, it called to him and tugged at his conscience because he wanted to just get far away from the dinner party as possible. Although he knew that he had to endure it for the sake of the royal family's image and for the people in the city as well. He could still hear the chatter and classical music emanating from the floor underneath him. No one would miss him for a while, he concluded.

Finding the nearest black sofa bench, Noctis quietly sat down, giving a heavy sigh in the process. Again, the noise from the lower floor disrupted his thoughts. He looked up and stared at the stars embedded in a soft black velvet night across the glass ceiling above. And abruptly, his thoughts turned to a certain guest that was residing in the same tower at that very moment.

Stella was still in 'confinement,' or so she called it. He had told her not to leave his room until the party was over. Surprisingly, she had not strongly resisted against his wishes. Stella cracked a joke and complied without a fuss when he was so sure that she would literally fight him until he agreed to have her out of his room. But she just smiled and commented on how she felt like she was loosely 'confined' in his room. Lately he had noticed that she was not like the Stella he knew before. The bright, fresh, and cheerful girl was losing her remarkable flair, and he could take a guess as to why that was. She was homesick. Since she had no choice but to stay here until the elders were able to find a way to send her back to Tenebrae. If they were able to find a way, that is. If not, then he had decided that he would take her home himself.

Looking up through the ceiling, he remembered what Stella had told him when she was first able to come out and explore the tower at night.

_"You can see the 'light' too, right Noctis? I can also see it…"  
_  
To his surprise, he found himself missing her voice. Quickly averting his eyes back to the direction of where the noise was generated from, he abruptly made a decision to leave. There would be many more useless parties to come, he figured. Taking out his black, sleek cellphone from the pocket of his dress pants, he pressed a speed-dial button and called his faithful butler, Miles.

"My Prince?" the old voice answered. Noct was able to hear the chatter even more clearly from the phone than from where he was. Miles was probably keeping the guests entertained as well as he could. "What is it that you require?"

"I'll take my leave right now, Miles," Noct answered the man while standing up from where he sat. "Tell the guests that they can stay for as long as they wish for the rest of the night, or they can leave."

"Certainly, young master," was the reply.

Noct hung up as he made his way down the corridor as disappeared into the dark. Along the way he began unbuttoning his suit jacket and loosening his black satin tie. The clothing choice Miles had selected for him was sometimes too suffocating, but this time Miles was not the one who chose it. It was Stella. He did not want to refuse her when she suggested this particular all black outfit for him to wear.

He never liked being different. Never before in his life. And once he inherited the powers of the Crystal, his life completely underwent a drastic change. He was treated with the highest respect anyone has ever known. But what they failed to realize was that it made him lonelier than ever. It was only until Stella told him what everyone else never did.

_"I think you are fine the way you are, because you are still you, Noct. Nothing can change that."  
_  
Her words freed him from the confinement that always existed around him for so long, although she probably never knew that. Stella was an unusual being. Talkative, yes, and extremely so at that. Yet she always managed to cheer a person up, even if that was not her initial intention. Her very aura calmed him completely, and he never really understood why she always made him feel at ease.

Before he knew it, Noct had arrived at the front door of his room. He did not understand why, but at that moment, he felt as though he was about to enter a stranger's room, and yet, it was his room to begin with. He wondered what he would find Stella doing at this hour of the night. He knocked once, then twice, but there was no answer.

_Is she asleep?_ He wondered, curious. And without a second thought, he opened the door.

At first, the petite figure of the woman on the bed was not visible. It was only until the moon shined upon her pale body veiled in a rich oak white colour that the Prince was able to see her peaceful sleeping face. Noct walked over to the edge of the bed, leaned down, and gazed softly at that beautiful face.

Yes indeed she was beautiful, and he wondered if anyone ever told her that.

_Someone probably has,_ he thought, feeling a slight edge of uneasiness wash over him. _Who wouldn't?  
_  
Under his gaze, Stella began to shift, and Noct silently stood back up from his reverie. A book that was placed upside-down laid next to Stella, and it was obvious that she had been reading it. Noct felt a touch of pity over the fact that she had to stay locked up in his room like a prisoner. And at that point, he had to admit that she really seemed like one. But it was a risk to put her out of his sight to any part of the tower because of the fact that she was the desire of many rival kingdoms surrounding his own. There have been no signs to indicate that they know she is in his kingdom at the moment, but Noct was sure that eventually the secret will be released one way or another. And that thought made him wince.

Picking the book up from the black satin sheets, Noct looked at the title before realizing that it was a book that he was forced to read during his childhood.

Somnus…he remembered. Miles had given it to him one day and asked that he learn to read it properly to help him improve his Latin. Not that he really needed it or anything, but it was more like a friendly suggestion to Noct more than anything else. Now that he thought about it, he had not seen this book since he was a boy. He had no idea where he had placed it all these years, and suddenly, Stella was able to find it without any difficulty. Or so he assumed.

Never before had he seen anyone so amazing. Never before had he met someone who made his blood pulse at the very thought of her like Stella. Stella, he concluded, was just too good for words. A one of a kind person. And someone he could not bear to lose.

She stirred once again, her hand gripping the satin sheets below her. She looked like she was having a bad dream of some sort at first, but then Noct realized that it was simply because she was cold. Without putting much thought into it, he gently placed a warm blanket over her slim body and slowly watched her as she breathed evenly. He wouldn't mind doing this for the rest of the night, watching her as she slept and simply knowing that she was here with him.

For now, that was enough for him.

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**So how was it? Should I even bother to continue?  
Feedback would be nice, so don't hesistate to comment.  
Cuz I don't bite ;]**


	2. A Prelude to Disaster

**Sorry for not updating in like 3 weeks. I was busy with exams and the like for the past couple of weeks, especially with a load of AP classes. But anyways, thanks so much to those who read and commented on the first chapter of my story :) Either way, I have no choice but to continue with this, seeing as my friend threatened to give me silent treatment for a month if I failed to upload another chapter within two days. But I did, silly girl. Lately I have been seeing more StellaxNoctis story pairings, and I'm happy to know that people are giving this pair a chance. And I apologize for the 'uneventfulness' in this chapter. It seems that I have hit a writer's block of some sort, but I have an excuse! I cannot concentrate with all the homework and exams I have on my agenda. But after those hideous things are over, I can improve the future chapters, hopefully.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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_Final Fantasy Versus XIII: Amor est vitae essentia  
Chapter 2: A Prelude to Disaster_

Stella woke up to the light that managed to creep through a slim gap in the curtains. It was light out, obviously. But once she squinted against the unusual sensation and opened her eyes completely, she noticed that the day was cloudy, and it looked like it was about to rain. _What a perfect start to a new day_, she mused.

Stella slowly got herself up into a sitting position, but was suddenly faintly aware of a slight pressure around her waist. She had not noticed that before when she woke up moments ago. Looking down her body she spotted an arm wrapped around that particular area and was trying to slowly comprehend who it belonged it. A dark blue wave of hair caught the corner of her eye and that immediately led to only one person. Noct.

She shifted slowly and carefully so as not to wake him up. He was exhausted, and she knew that very well. The serious face that he usually made was locked up from his slumber, and for once, Stella thought he looked completely vulnerable and innocent.

Lately he had been assisting the elders with protecting the sacred Crystal from thieves, and although they were relatively close this one time, Noct had made it certain that they would not have a second chance to do so. He was even thinking of ways to get her home safely, even though she had repeatedly told him that that particular issue can wait. And apparently he was even too tired to change out of his clothes before falling asleep. That reminded her of the parties and socials that he was forced to attend by his strict grandfather. Speaking of which, she remembered, Stella had not met him at all, his grandfather that is. She wondered what he would be like. Perhaps his personality was serious. That _would explain a lot_, she figured. Or perhaps he would have the same eye colour as Noct.  
_  
That would be interesting_, she thought, since his deep blue orbs had always intrigued her since they first met.

Looking back down at the sleeping figure who had an arm wrapped around her waist, she sighed in contentment. _If only time would last like this forever_, she mused while gazing fondly at his blue hair. Suddenly, the urge to stroke it, or even touch it, was utterly unbearable. But her will-power was strong, and she restrained herself from succumbing to such…unusual temptations.

He was unlike any man she had ever seen or met. He was very mysterious and serious, yet there lurked something genuine underneath that façade and he was hesitant in showing it to anyone. Sleep, she figured, was the only time that he revealed his true self. She sighed deeply as all the thoughts occupying her mind at the moment circulated in her head. Indeed.

"You're awake," she heard a familiar voice say. She turned to meet a familiar set of eyes softly looking at her from where he laid, unabashed at the current setting.

She smiled at his words. "It's getting late."

"It's only 6:30."

A slight smile crossed her face. "That's pretty late," she replied. "And might I ask what you are doing in the same bed as I am?"

He smirked, his humor coming back to him this early in the morning. "It's not like this is an unusual thing between us," he said, sitting up as well. He gazed at her with his sapphire-coloured eyes. "We've done it before."

A thin line fell upon her lips at the mere memory of when Noctis was exhausted to the point where he mistakened Stella as a pillow. She allowed herself to smile fondly at the memory.

"That was when nobody was there to bother us," she replied. "You were tired. And on top of that, there was no one that could have possibly disturbed us."

"Are you referring to Miles?"

She shook her head in the positive. "Yes. What would he say if he saw us like this?"

He pondered for a moment, unsure of how to answer her question.

"Did you at least lock the door?" she asked, releasing him from her previous question. She looked kind of nervous, he noted, as she glanced quickly at the door to her right. He wondered what she would have done if he responded negatively.

"It's locked," he assured her, turning away from his original thoughts. He laid back down, but this time he was propped up on his elbows. He didn't want to get up completely just yet.

"You're not even changed," Stella found herself saying as she played with the collar of one of his sleeves. It was a soft kind of fabric, and despite her hate for suits, she found the material quite satisfying and comfortable.

"I'll change and take a shower later."

Stella crinkled her nose. "Take one now," she insisted. "You're already awake."

"I already took one last night. And I don't want to get up," he told her bluntly and defiantly.

"Why not?"

Even Noct was unsure of what to say. _What am I supposed to say? That I want to stay here with her and not get up?_ He thought to himself, and finally he mentally pushed that thought away.

Instead, he shrugged. "I just don't want to get up," he muttered.

Stella frowned, and Noct could not help but notice how much his defiance got to her. He smirked a little at the thought before regaining his usual composure.

"That's not a plausible reason."

"It doesn't have to be," was the smooth reply.

Stella paused. Since when did he become so bold as to make such incredulous remarks?

"If you are not going to use the shower, then I will," she told him, with a slight hint of annoyance in her tone. "I don't know why I am friends with such a lazy Prince," she finished, teasing him.

That did it.

"Don't call me that," Noct said, struggling to keep his cool. _God, why did it bother him so much when she called him that?  
_  
She turned her gaze back towards him, immediately noticing the distress that was weaved into his voice and words. She had said something wrong.

"What? You don't like that term?" she asked, attempting to figure out what was so wrong about what she had said.

He sighed and sat up completely until he faced her. "It's nothing, never mind."

"No it's not just 'never mind,'" Stella pressed when she did not receive a satisfying answer. "What do you mean?"

He turned away from her, her words obviously an obstacle he had not particularly expected. That was one of the things that he found very attractive about her. Her unexpectedness had his curiosity to the max, although at some points he had to admit, that her unexpectedness caused him some trouble. Like it did now.

"Never mind, just forget it," he replied, trying to brush off the topic as quickly and nonchalantly as possible.

He stood up from the comforts of the bed and looked back into Stella's captivating blue eyes that was evidently questioning his words. But Stella knew when to stop if someone felt uneasy about a certain topic. She would never let her curiosity push them to the limit, and that was another one of her amiable qualities.

"I'll go take a shower and change," Noct said, breaking the heavy silence that lasted for the past couple of seconds. "You should do the same."

Stella sighed but nodded at his suggestion. She stood up from the bed like he did and began heading towards the bathroom on the opposite end of his room. Noct could tell that she was disappointed for not receiving an honest and straight answer from him. Watching her receding figure, he reached a realization. Now that he thought about it, she was always honest and straightforward with him, so why couldn't he be with her? Dammit, this was ticking him off. HE was ticking himself off for treating her like this. Seconds later, another question occurred to him: _what was he to her?_Instinctively, he grabbed her wrist before she took another step. Stella turned to see his deep blue eyes gaze into hers, and she tilted her head in a questioning manner? She noticed that Noct looked troubled.

"Yes?" she questioned, turning her full body to face him.

She could tell that he was fighting against himself for some reason, but she could not pinpoint what it was exactly. He gently took hold of the sides of her arms while debating whether or not to ask her a question that had been bothering him for some time. As much as he tried, he was unable to alter his gaze from her eyes—those bewitching eyes. Noctis suddenly remembered what his friends had told him: _you never know until you try_. And there was no point in him beating around the bush anyway.

"I—," he began, before he heard a series of loud knocks that came from the door.

He quietly sighed and cursed under his breath before unlocking and opening the door to a distressed looking Miles. The Prince looked at his faithful butler questioningly and completely discarded the feelings of annoyance due to the interruption that had washed over him just seconds ago.

"Miles, did something happen?"

"My Lord Prince, please come down to the meeting chamber immediately," Miles said urgently.

Noctis was taken back at his unexpected words. "Why?"

Miles looked over the Prince's shoulder at a puzzled Stella before continuing, only this time, he said his words in a mere whisper so that she would not be able to hear his words.

"The elders—" he started to say, but Noctis understood immediately and abruptly left the room with Miles, leaving Stella all alone to replay what had just happened by memory.

She was not fazed by him leaving without a word. That was simply how he acted when certain matters were concern. Stella concluded that it was something vitally important that required his immediate attention, so she had no hard feelings towards him.

_I wonder what he was going to tell me_, she thought silently to herself, but then shrugged it off as she made her way to the bathroom for a shower.  
A nice cold shower was just what she needed right now.

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**yay it's done :]  
feel free to review this chapter  
it would make me really happy ;]**


	3. A Beautiful Disaster

**thanks again for the reviews from my last chapter :] here's the next one. i was able to make this chapter a tad bit longer because of the fact that it was the weekend and i had no homework to do or exams to study for. if i'm lucky, the next chapter will be up by next saturday instead of the one after haha. thanks again to all my reviewers and i hope you guys will continue to read my story dedicated to a friend :]**

**and i am terribly sorry if this story seems to drag on as some of you might think (i myself do think so ). but i have a tendency to elaborate on things way too much, as evident through this (terrible lol) story.**

**disclaimer: i own nothing.**

**EDITED: May 31st, 2009 at 4:46 PM. sorry, i found some errors in my story and i just had to correct them :]**

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_Final Fantasy Versus XIII: Amor est vitae essentia  
Chapter 3: A Beautiful __Disaster  
_

Surprisingly, Noct did not return so soon as Stella had expected that day. She was unsure as to what had happened in the meeting chamber that would keep him away for so long. In truth, she was kind of worried. But deep down, she knew that Noct was strong, and no matter what decisions he made or what he was up against, she knew that he would pull through.

Curious, Stella tried asking his butler, Miles, about what had happened after he had left the room in the morning abruptly. But still, she received no definite answer.

"They had been in there for about…five hours or so since I went to retrieve the Prince from his chambers," Miles had told her while she was hanging around in the royal kitchen with him with a pastry in her mouth. "But half an hour ago, the Prince left the room and went somewhere."

Stella swallowed the sweet pastry before continuing to question him. She didn't want to keep pressing Miles for answers, but she really wanted to know the specifics.

"He did? Do you know where to exactly?" she asked, grabbing another pastry from the silver platter and nibbling on the crust.

"Yes my dear, he left. Although that is not an unusual thing. Sometimes he goes and leaves for days on end without sending word of his whereabouts. He never tells anyone where he goes, so no one knows," Miles replied as he polished a large silver plate. "Are you worried about him?" he asked, looking up at her from his task. His old emerald coloured eyes looking as though they could pierce through her very soul to seek out the truth.

"No," she answered, almost immediately, thus confirming the butler's suspicions.

Miles gave her a doubtful look and she averted her eyes away to the nearby window. "It's just that…it's about to rain," she muttered in meek defense.

And so it was, luckily for Stella, she could use the weather to hide her true feelings and thoughts from Miles. She heard the rumbling thunder and not soon after, sweet, plumb raindrops fell from heaven and stained the glass window with no particular cadence. It was as if an angel was crying in a lonely corner of heaven; and somehow, somewhere in her heart, Stella couldn't help but feel a painful feeling of sorrow. But there was no clear reason why she felt that way, and that bothered her.

Without warning, a sharp pain pierced right through her head. She exhaled deeply. _Not this again_, she thought. She had had a headache after she took a shower in the morning. She was fine when she woke up, so she wondered why her head was throbbing so much at that moment. Stella brought her fingertips up to her temple and began massaging it in a light circular manner in an attempt to relief some pain, if not all of it.

"My Lady?"

Stella abruptly snapped back from her sudden reverie only to find a worried looking butler awaiting her response.

"Ah, I'm fine Miles. Sorry. My mind just wandered off," she assured him, smiling softly as her attention averted back to the old man. She did not want him to worry about her so she decided to just simply deal with the headache as best she can. It shouldn't be a big deal, she figured. It was just a headache.

Miles nodded in understanding and continued to polish the silver and began lining the finished ones up in a row. "You are full of questions today my dear," he commented. "That's good. Prince Noctis cares for you you know," he added.

"Does he now…" she mused in a low voice so that he could not hear.

"Did you say something my dear?" he asked.

Stella shook her head in the negative. "Nothing Miles."

A moment or two of absolute silence passed between the two, but they were both fine with it. Miles, as Stella knew, wasn't one for deep conversations, and she respected that.

"He's here you know," the butler said suddenly, polishing a dusty tea pot this time.

"Who Miles?" Stella asked, taking a seat by the window as she was gazing out at the natural beauty of the world.

"The Prince," was the simple reply.

And before she could even utter a word, she heard him calling. Miles was right.

"It's a butler's instinct my Lady," Miles said, grinning once he saw her surprised face. "I've been with him since he was a baby. I know when he is looking for me."

"Miles…Miles!" the voice yelled coated by a thick blanket of distress from the empty hallway that led to the kitchen.

"I'm in the kitchen my Prince," Miles called out as he set aside the cleaning materials.

"Miles I need to talk to you. This is urgent—"

Noctis stopped short as his eyes fell upon Stella and her pale face. Unknowingly, Stella simply smiled back and stood up from her chair.

"Welcome back," she greeted, smiling softly at him. "I was wondering how long it was going to take you to return."

His blue and cold eyes seemed to pierce her very skin as he stared at her silently. It didn't take a genius to realize that something was terribly wrong. Stella could feel it. Never before had he stared at her with such eyes as though she were the enemy. Clearly ignoring her, Noctis brushed past her with not as much as a returning the greeting and went straight to Miles.

"When you are done, come see me," he instructed his butler. "I will be in my room."

And as abruptly as he arrived, Noct left the kitchen in the same manner. Stunned, Stella could not move for a couple of seconds. What on earth had just happened? She was just coldly brushed aside as if she didn't exist. She had felt that before. That feeling was somewhat familiar to her. Yes, that sort of feeling that only came from her father and relatives. But coming from Noct, it felt completely strange and foreign. Without a second thought, Stella ran instinctively to catch up with him, her headache coming back stronger than ever as she ran.

Out in the hallway, Noct did not slow down even as she called him from behind. He was tense, she noted as she sped up after him. Yes, he was indeed here. But at the same time, he wasn't. A part of him was detached—the part of him that she knew and could relate to. The way he was acting right now, there was no way he could be the Noctis that she knew. Catching up with him within a couple of seconds, she grabbed the blue sleeve of his shirt which surprisingly had the desired effect. He slowed down to a stop but did not look at her. Not one glance.

"What's wrong?" Stella asked, huffing during the process from trying to catch up to him. "Did something happen with the elders?"

"A lot of thing happened with the elders," he answered with the authority of a future king. "But none of that is any of your concern my Lady."

Did she just hear that correctly? Stella was completely stunned. Never had he addressed her as such before. _My Lady_. She never dreamed that those words would fall from his lips. He never was formal with her, even from the time they first met. It was simply _Stella_, but never _my Lady_.

"W-what's going on?" Stella asked him, gripping his sleeve tighter. "Why are you acting this way Noct?"

Still, he did not answer. He was as tense as ever, and she felt like she was going crazy if he did not even look at her.

"Look at me," she demanded softly. "Why won't you look at me?"

She heard Noct sigh in…annoyance? Piercing midnight blue eyes met a pair of sad sapphire ones; and yet those eyes, she noticed, were empty.

"Are you happy now my Lady?" the prince asked, his irritation blatantly obvious.

"…No. I'm not the least bit happy," Stella answered, her throat dry. She couldn't think of anything else to say. Stella could feel her anger and hurt levels rising. She had had enough of his attitude, and for no legit reason. And on top of that, her headache was now more defined than it ever was. The current situation was not helping at all, and she was beginning to feel dizzy as she felt her head throb.

"Then I am sorry that I cannot be of assistance to you."

"…Noct, did I do something wrong?" Stella asked him quietly.

His answer was not immediate. However, she did hear a rather strained "Yes" falling from his lips.

"Whatever it is, I'm sorry. But tell me what I did wrong and I'll fix it," she told him, trying to keep her calm composure. _Just don't look at me like that_, she thought desperately.

"If you would excuse me, Lady Stella, I have some business to attend to that requires my immediate attention," the Prince told her coldly as he shrugged off her hand and words. He began to walk down the hallway again. "I will have your things moved to a different room before tonight."

With her eyes cast down, Stella forced herself to say something. Anything that would make him stay, even if it was for a few more seconds.

"Are you leaving me too?" she asked him, just enough so that he could hear from where he was. A flood of memories threatened to overflow from the box she was desperately trying to keep locked, but she mentally fought to keep them there. She didn't want to remember—not now.

A couple feet away, Noct did not utter a word in response. Instead he stood there, motionless as a marble statue. She took his silence as a confirmation.

"Then you are just like the others," she told him, angry and hurt. "I don't need you."

Angry words. Sharp words. Cruel words. She didn't want to say them because she didn't mean them. She knew what would happen with those words. But she had her own promise to look after and fulfill. She would not look weak. She would never look weak in front of anyone, so no matter what happened, she swore a resolute promise to be strong, even if she only pretended.

"Do whatever you want. What you do is none of my concern," he replied sharply, turning around to face her fully this time, his eyes blazing. "Go back home. Go back to Tenebrae. You're useless here."

_You're useless here_. Those words rang and echoed endlessly in her ears. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. But then again, now she knew. She could not allow herself to hope anymore because the result would be the same. What is there to hope for when the people that you care about the most betray and hurt you? Stella had learned her lesson, the hard way. And from _that_ time on, she was determined not to let anyone sway her heart. It is not obvious to many, but since she was a young girl, she found the strength to face loneliness and adversity all on her own. And whatever loneliness and sadness she felt, she converted them into happiness. Upon meeting Noct, she thought he was different. She thought he understood her the most, but now, she knew she was wrong. It was a risk, yes, but she thought he was worth it. From the time they met, she had sealed her own fate by trusting in him with all her heart. Now, she would have to pay the price.

"You have no business here to begin with," he continued. He was about to say something else when he heard her chuckling softly across from him.

"…All this time…" Stella began, smiling sadly. "All this time…I have been the clown playing the fool, haven't I? I should have known better."

She looked up at him now, eyes glistening not from tears, but from resentment and hurt.

"If it is what you wish for my Prince, I shall take my leave immediately," she told him, her voice strong and icy to match his with newfound strength. "I shall never bother you again."

"Then so be it."

Without so much as another word or another glance, Stella turned around and began walking down the hall in the opposite direction. Noct did not know that the sound of her exiting footsteps and the image of her receding, pale figure would end up haunting him for months to come. He watched her until she turned the corner at the end of the dimly lit hallway and disappeared from his sight.

As he turned to look through a nearby glass window, a kaleidoscope of thoughts flooded his mind. Minutes passed, and he could hear the echoing ticking of each passing second even though there was no clock to be seen or heard in the corridor. A movement down below caught his attention. He saw the petite figure of Stella cloaked in white attire speaking to a distressed looking Miles. The old man had taken quite a liking to her, Noct figured. To him, she was like a grand-daughter that he never had.

He saw the two embrace for a long and sad moment before releasing. The rain had stopped, he noticed, but there was a heavy layer of fog. So he would not have to worry about her getting drenched. He was more worried about her losing her way.

The moment she walked past the large metal gates, both their fates took a twisted turn. But one thing was definitely certain: what a beautiful disaster they make. They both knew how wrong it was to say such words, but they willingly carried on with it knowing full well of the consequences. But it did prove one thing—they are only human.

Perhaps this was fate. Perhaps they would never be able to see each other again after this. If that was the case, then there was no other choice but to accept it. It was unfair to Stella because of the way he treated her, and she had no idea as to why he had treated her in such a manner. _True_, he thought. But maybe it was the will of the Goddess Etro for separating the two of them like this.

Looking at her receding figure walking through the heavy mist, Noctis remembered the words that Miles once told him: _those who are separated, my dear Prince, one day, do meet again._

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**as always, critiques, comments, and thoughts are appreciated.  
and i swear to you that the next chapter will have action in it. action meaning some violence.  
there will be some new characters for sure, so please look forward to it :]**


	4. Weathervane

_hey so I'm back :] thanks again for all the reviews from my readers! now i want you guys to answer a question for me if you don't mind._

_*****should i, or should i not continue with this story,** __Final Fantasy Versus XIII: Amor est Vitae Essentia**?*****_

_my friend right now hardly cares about this story cuz she has moved on to her next obsession. it was fun for me, but short lived overall.  
so i want my readers' opinions about whether or not i should continue this. i have this chapter and the next chapter, which are the deciding factors i suppose.  
i wonder if they are too OOC :/_

_but please comment with an answer to my question :]  
__it would mean so much to me. thank-you!_

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_Final Fantasy Versus XIII: Amor est Vitae Essentia  
Chapter 4: Weathervane_

Life is difficult. Stella had learned that throughout her life, and that phrase never seemed to lie. But no matter how difficult the situation, Stella had taught herself to lift her head high and smile; although sometimes, that may prove easier said than done. The layer of fog on the ground and around her was unusually thick, causing her to develop an air of uncertainty with each step. Walking along the lifeless, gravel road alone, she could not help the myriad of thoughts that flooded her mind. And without a doubt, the events that had taken place earlier within the hour dominated her time of contemplation.

_I really don't need this right now_, she thought to herself, picking up the pace a little as she walked. Her headache had not gone away since she left. Even with the painful constant throbbing in her head, Stella forced herself to think straight.

She had made up her mind: the primary thing for her to do would be to get herself home, back to Tenebrae. Yet the thought of it did not make her feel any better, because she knew exactly what was waiting for her behind those suffocating walls of her kingdom.

Still walking at a constant pace, Stella had thought about simply going somewhere else, but it would always lead to one simple question: where could she go? She had nothing and no other destination where she would be welcomed.

She sighed, half in annoyance and half in helplessness. Backtracking through the events during the past few months, she noted that being a guest in Noct's kingdom was definitely not on her agenda. And she did not think that they would end up caring so much about each other—before the recent incident anyway. But given the situation, she had no other choice. She knew they both knew that they were from rival kingdoms, where her home, Tenebrae, wanted the last Crystal that Noct's kingdom was protecting. It was unfortunate, but they were enemies.

But upon meeting him, she never really thought of him as an enemy. To her family he might be, but to her, he was a dear friend. Although being her enemy by name, Noctis was truly a genuine person who she believed had understood her more than anyone else. He may have been sometimes shy and withdrawn, but with time, there was more to him than what he showed. Stella knew that, and she became his friend despite their positions. She knew there would be some consequences later, but deep down she was hoping that they would have faced them together. But now, that wish was long gone.

_I still don't know why that happened_, she thought. _But the chances of us meeting again on good terms are pretty slim at this point. _Without clearly understanding the reasons why, Stella had walked out of the building in a state of hurt and anger. And with his words, Noctis had indeed thrown her back to reality and their antagonized positions. She shook her head. How did it turn out to be like this?

The road was still misty, and looking up, all Stella could see was a depressing shade of grey. She smiled softly at the irony of it all. The weather that morning had predicted that something would go wrong. By now, she was out of the city and was walking through the outer boundaries surrounding the metropolis. It wasn't a particularly safe time to be walking alone like this, but it wasn't as if she had a choice. Lately, there have been rumors about men in suits of armor carrying large guns roaming around the outskirts of the Noct's kingdom. Stella knew for a fact that they were not sent by her father, but they were no doubt from another kingdom waiting for a decent time to strike to steal the Crystal from Noct's kingdom. She shook her head at the troubles that have risen to new heights within the past few weeks, and the throbbing of the headache began to be more defined.

Stella gently massaged her temples to relieve some pain. Thinking back, she felt bad about leaving Miles so abruptly. But after exchanging such harsh words with the Prince, she felt like she could not stay in the building any longer. It may have been her own selfishness, but she could not deal with it. To her, it was like the sharp and searing pain of a paper cut, only on her heart. And regarding Miles, he was like the grandfather she never had, and she treasured the little time she had with him. Upon hearing the news of her abrupt departure, Miles had rushed to the kitchen to pack her some food and necessary provisions for her journey home and saw her off with sad, aged eyes. Stella fought against the emotions that threatened to overflow and sighed.

"I really miss Miles," Stella breathed out to nothing and to no one in particular. She continued to walk through the mist and fog until she reached the cover of a sea of trees. She noticed that the temperature had dropped quite a significant amount, causing her to wrap her white coat around herself more securely to fend against the cold. It was a peaceful setting, for the moment.

Without warning, a gunshot was fired not far from where she was. Her reaction time to it was unusually slow, she noticed. Her body felt heavy as she ran to get behind the nearest tree.

"How annoying," she muttered under her breath as her eyes skimmed her surroundings for movement.

Normally, she would be able to sense if a person is close by or not. But the pain caused by her headache had completely clouded that ability of hers to detect others because it threw off her concentration.

Again, she heard fires being shot simultaneously in the same relative direction and took a guess that the rumored armored soldiers probably had something to do with it one way or another. Today, she concluded, was just not her day.

"Here's another one!" Stella heard a voice yell. "It's a woman!" Upon hearing those words, she was surprised to find that the voice had come from behind her.

Gunshots began to fly rapidly towards her, causing her to somewhat lose her balance for a moment. They ricocheted off of the tree trunks as she dodged them. Even though she had not engaged in combat for a couple of months, her skills certainly have not faded. Well, taking the current headache into consideration, her speed might be a little bit slower than usual. But there was absolutely no way in hell that they would be able to catch her.

Eluding the soldiers and their gunfire for a moment, it took all the strength she had to summon her rapier because she was so weak. Her head was throbbing and her body was hot all over as her breathing became ragged and even painful. Once she felt a warm orange glow wrap itself around her right arm and shooting itself down to her hand, she gripped the cool handle of her weapon firmly. Without any warning, she let herself loose on the first ten unfortunate soldiers that stood directly in front of her.

Unconsciously, she projected all her anger, hurt, and frustration through her rapier in an illuminating glow with every swing of her weapon. There was no need for unnecessary deaths right now, she thought. It was enough if they were fairly injured or rendered immobile, for the moment that is. But her condition right now made it hard for her to control anything, let alone herself. With every sharp throb in her head, the seconds seemed to go by twice as long. Recovering her concentration, she hit a man at the base of his armor-clad neck with the side of her right hand, and immediately he fell to the ground with a strained grunt. As she struck the other soldiers, she made sure she did not strike or cut deep; and she made sure that she did not aim for the vital organs. It would be easy for her to cut straight through the armor and into warm flesh, but she refrained herself from doing so. Stella made sure that the ten that fought her were clearly on the ground first before she began letting down her guard a little.

A deafening sound broke pierced through the silence that lasted a few seconds once every man except her was on the ground. The sound even shocked her quite a bit and it made her body extremely tense and stiff. Simultaneously, she felt an unusual sensation on her left cheek. The sensation burned for a few seconds after it felt like her cheek was being cut by the edge of a very sharp knife. Faltering for a moment, her back hit a tree, but she used it to support her body as she breathed heavily. Stella raised her left hand up to her cheek and felt warm liquid seeping from the cut with the tips of her fingers. She had been grazed. Wincing a little at the minor sting, she gripped the handle of her glowing rapier tightly.

There was still someone out there hiding in the mist. She knew that for sure, but she was too tired to move. Still leaning against the tree to rest, her acute eyes saw the figure of a man approaching the clearing very slowly. His dark silhouette became more defined as the seconds ticked by, and he was holding a hand-gun as well. No doubt he was the one who shot her, she figured. Within moments, he stood a mere three feet away from her. And she stared at him with cold eyes.

The man was rather…normally dressed. He did not wear any armor at all, but simply a white shirt, a black vest, a pair of loose jeans, and black boots. He seemed to be in his early to mid twenties. Stella blinked in order to adjust her eyes to see her target more clearly. She saw that he had a unique shade of brown hair. Auburn, she guessed, but with the given weather, it was hard to determine. But there was one thing she knew for sure. The man had a strikingly sad pair of grey eyes. As they both looked at each other, neither of them lowered down their guard even for a second.

"Just what is a woman doing out here all by herself?" the man asked her after a hostile moment, his smooth voice startling her.

"I am just passing by," Stella responded politely. "What is the harm in that?"

"By yourself? That seems kind of suspicious, especially during these times."

Stella's lips formed a tight and irritated line. "Only if you choose to think so."

The man did not say anything to that. But instead he turned his head around and began skimming the scene. It was kind of hard not to notice the ten bodies that lay there either unmoving or moaning in pain.

"Did you kill any of them?" the man asked as he kneeled down to turn one soldier on his back.

Stella shook her head in the negative. "I didn't kill any of them. I just injured them a bit."

She saw his lips curve into a smirk. "A bit? I think you might have paralyzed them for good," he said, amusement evident in his tone.

"They had no reason to attack me," she claimed. "And you had no reason to fire that gunshot at me."

Stella was still infuriated about the bullet graze. That was certain. But the man did not seem to have heard her. The next thing she saw was him taking out his black cell phone and asking for some medical attention for the injured soldiers. Within moments, a group of soldiers came to the clearing and began helping and tending to the wounded. When they were all gone, it was just Stella and the mysterious man left alone, and she did not seem to like that fact. The silence dragged on for another moment or two.

"So—" he began, but was interrupted when one soldier called him from a couple of meters away.

"General Cain! We have the report you wanted earlier," the soldier said. "And also, the lieutenants would like to have a word with you right now."

With the mysterious man's back turned to the other man, the soldier failed to hear the annoyed sigh that fell from his general's lips.

"I got it. I'll be there," he responded without even looking at the messenger. He raised his arm up and with a flick of his finger, he indicated for the soldier to leave.

Stella raised an eyebrow at the man standing before her. Indeed he was an interesting one, and from what she heard, he was a man of great importance—a general. It was also blatantly obvious that with his armored-clad soldiers, he was also a part of the scheme in trying to steal the Crystal from Noct's kingdom.

Without warning, the man walked closer and began leaning towards Stella. She took a few steps back until her back hit the tree, and from there, he had her trapped. With his face only inches from her she could not help but stare into those captivating grey eyes. To her, it held some sort of story that he would not let anyone touch, and that won her curiosity. But despite her current position, she felt that she could not find her voice to protest. A sound in the distance brought her back to reality; and when she finally realized her situation, Stella quickly turned her head sideways to avoid his gaze. From the corner of her eye, she saw him raising his hand.

The next moment, she was surprised to find a cool hand on her warm forehead. The coldness of his skin felt refreshing to Stella, and she turned her head slowly to face him.

"You have a fever," he said, his voice low and husky. Yet at the same time, it had a hint of concern woven into it.

Stella's eyes widened in surprise. "I do?" She took her hand and placed it on her own forehead, and he was right. She did have a fever. When he pointed that out to her, she felt the effects of the fever very clearly and frowned.

He smiled softly at her sudden realization and chuckled. "You can fight, but you can't tell if you have a fever? I'm surprised."

Despite herself, her lips slowly formed a smile at his humor. _Perhaps he isn't that bad_, she thought.

"You should go find someplace to rest to get that fever settled," he suggested, turning away and taking a few steps back.

"That would be nice, but I don't know where the nearest place is," she told him.

"There's one just down the road from here. It belongs to a friend of mine. When you see it down the road, it's the one with a dark blue weathervane. Just ask her for a room, and I'm sure she'll let you stay," he said. "Tell her Cain sent you."

She nodded and smiled gently. "Thank-you."

"No problem," he answered as he walked until he stood in front of her with his hands in the pockets of his pants. "And I'm sorry about the graze. I really am."

By now, Stella had forgotten about his bullet grazing her cheek. The pain from the wound was already long gone. Well, she thought, at least he apologized.

"It's fine. It doesn't hurt anymore," she assured him, touching her cheek to prove her point.

"Take that as a warning though," he told her, leaning forward until his face was a few inches from hers again. "Be more careful next time and don't go wandering around on your own."

She smiled at his words. "I'm not a child. But I'll keep that in mind," she replied as she stepped away. "Thanks for everything. I'll be going now."

Without another word, she began walking off in the opposite direction, leaving the General standing under the tree watching her go. It was an unusual encounter, for the both of them. There will probably never be another time when they would be able to meet in the future, and they both thought that. Their meeting was indeed due to fate, but only one out of the two seemed to believe that. The other lost their reason to believe in fate a long time ago. Even now, they wonder if they will be able to believe in that again.

It was already fifteen minutes since she parted ways with the General. Stella wondered if he was only deceiving her when he told her of a place where she could stay down the road. She sighed sadly. It wasn't the only time she had been deceived, she thought. But somehow, she felt as though she should keep going.

It was cold and windy as she walked. Stella looked straight ahead down the road and a sudden movement caught her attention. As she walked closer she saw that it was a weathervane. The general had been right about there being a house. All at once, she felt so relieved and calm. Stella quickened her pace until she reached the front area of the house.

Looking up at the weathervane, she noticed that it was in the shape of a dove. A dark-blue dove with a blue orb at the top of its post. The colour of the orb instantly reminded her or something, but what? Seconds ticked past, and as a sudden realization came to her, Stella couldn't help but feel a stabbing pain in her chest. The blue colour of the orb reminded her of Noct's eyes, and incidentally, the Prince himself.

At that moment, Stella wondered what he was doing at the exact same moment as she. Perhaps he was thinking of her as she was thinking of him, she thought. _Maybe, just maybe_.

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_i apologize for the lack of Noctis in this chapter. but he will appear in the next one, so no worries.  
__again, comments are love. please give your honest opinion if you want me to continue with this or not :]_

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	5. Sensibility

_**O6.24.O9  
**two chapters in one day. yay for progress :] read the Chapter 4: Weathervane if you haven't already.  
as i stated in my last chapter, i want to hear my readers' opinions about whether or not i should continue with this story.  
__so please comment/review with an answer to my question! i would appreciate that very much._

_here is the 5th chapter of my story: Sensibility_

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_Final Fantasy Versus XIII: Amor est Vitae Essentia  
Chapter 5: Sensibility_

"My Prince, would you like some tea?" an old butler asked his Prince as he placed down a platter of fruits and a silver teapot on the coffee table.

Noctis shook his head. "No thanks Miles. I don't need anything right now."

It was seven o'clock in the evening, and the Prince had excused himself into his room for the rest of the night. There was a lot on his mind at the moment, and he did not want to think about any more things. Sitting on a sofa in front of a fireplace, Noctis was deep in thought about the war, the Crystal, and on top of all that, Stella.

As all this was taking place, Miles was analyzing the Prince's facial expression and smiled softly to himself. The Prince noticed the small smile that spread across his butler's face.

"What is it?" he asked the old man.

"Yes my Prince?"

"Why are you smiling like that?" Noctis tried not to sound so demanding, when he asked this of his butler. But he was afraid that he might have come off sounding as such because he really wanted to know what Miles knew.

Miles sighed. "My Prince, are you perhaps thinking of Lady Stella?" he inquired.

At those words, Noctis paused. But he eventually sighed in defeat. He couldn't hide anything from Miles, he figured. After all, the man had been with him since he was born.

"I am not going to ask you why you did what you did My Prince," Miles continued once he got his indirect answer. "But I am sure there must have been a decent reason. After having been with you for all these years, it is safe to say that you would not do anything for your own selfishness. Rather, you do things for the sake of others."

"You trust in me too much Miles," Noctis told him, leaning back on the sofa.

"And I have every reason to," the old man replied as he cleaned up the table. Miles looked at the young Prince with wise eyes. "For you are the next king of this kingdom."

To those words, Noctis remained silent as though he was contemplating his future. But that was not so, and the butler found that all too obvious. Taking a deep breath, he decided to test the waters of a certain (and perhaps sensitive) topic.

"My Lord," he began. "You have fallen for her haven't you," he said, making it sound more like a statement than a question.

Noctis immediately snapped his head in the direction of his butler.

"I am right, am I not? I realize that you have not experienced that sort of thing before, so you might not understand the situation in its entirety," Miles continued. "But you will. She is indeed a remarkable young woman."

After Miles said what he thought needed to be said, he exited the room, leaving Noctis alone to sort through his thoughts. Thinking through it, it was true he had fallen for her, and the time she spent in this place made him more vulnerable to such feelings. He would never admit that out loud though, because he knew his friend (and even the council) would never let him hear the end of it. But still, he was aware of one thing: _you don't get to choose who your heart beats for sometimes._

Unconsciously, he stood up from the sofa and began walking over to the nearest window and leaned his lower back against the back of the sofa. _It's impossible_, he thought. It was impossible for him to love someone who happened to be someone from a rival kingdom, he believed. Life is certainly full of ironies. Confusion, frustration, and even a hint of desperation rolled up into one, and he remembered when he sought advice from one of his friends regarding that whole matter.

His friend had told him that yes, it would be in his best interest not to be too involved with someone from a rival kingdom. "_It's impossible_," his friend had bluntly told him, causing him to lapse into a momentary silence. Indeed, what his friend said was reasonable. Getting involved like that would only cause unnecessary pain, misery, and things would get extremely messy. Noctis swore he heard the logical side of himself cry out in triumph at the fact that he even acknowledged the advice given to him—which rang with the absolute truth. But no. His emotional side said otherwise and absolutely refused to accept the given advice. It said that meeting her was due to fate, and that it is something he could not be reasonable about.

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_thanks again for reading!_

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